HMAS Sydney
Four ships of the Royal Australian Navy have been named for Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales.
The first HMAS Sydney was a Chatham class cruiser laid down by the London and Glasgow Engineering Company at Govan in Scotland in February 1911, launched on 29 August 1912 by Lady Henderson, wife of Admiral Sir Reginald Henderson and commissioned on 26 June 1913 at Portsmouth in England.
Sydney made history on 9 November 1914, off the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean. Detached from convoy escort duty to investigate the reported "strange warship approaching" from the Cocos Islands WT Station, Sydney came into action with the German light cruiser SMS Emden. The action lasted over an hour and resulted in the Emden being wrecked and driven onto North Keeling Island reef.
During the remainder of World War I Sydney served in UK waters. In 1918 she operated a Sopwith Pup, launched from a platform fitted over a gun mounting. After the war Sydney continued to serve on the Australian station, including a period spent as flagship.
HMAS Sydney paid off at Sydney on 8 May 1928 and arrived at Cockatoo Island on 10 January 1929 where she was broken up.
The second HMAS Sydney was a modified Leander-class light cruiser laid down by Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson Limited at Wallsend-on-Tyne in England on 8 July 1933 as HMS Phaeton, purchased by the Australian Government in 1934 and renamed in memory of the earlier Sydney, launched on 22 September 1934 by Mrs. S. M. Bruce, wife of Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and commissioned at Portsmouth on 24 September 1935.
Her crowning glory was achieved on July 19, 1940, off Cape Spada in the Greek Islands. With a British destroyer squadron in company, she met the two high-speed Italian light cruisers Giovanni delle Bande Nere and Bartolomeo Colleoni. In the running battle which followed, Colleoni was wrecked and later sunk by destroyers' torpedoes. Only the very high speed of Bande Nere saved her from a similar fate. While serving in the Mediterranean, Sydney was also credited with the sinking of the Italian destroyer Espero and shared honours in the sinking of the destroyer Zeffiro during the Battle of Calabria.
HMAS Sydney engaged the German armed merchant cruiser Kormoran west of Shark Bay in Western Australia on 19 November 1941 and the German ship was sunk in the ensuing battle. Survivors from Kormoran reported that Sydney was last seen, heavily on fire and down by the bows, as a burning glow on the horizon. The ship and her 645 crew were never seen again.
The third HMAS Sydney was a Majestic-class light aircraft carrier laid down by HM Devonport Dockyard at Plymouth in England on 19 April 1943, launched on 30 September 1944 as HMS Terrible and commissioned on 16 December 1948 as HMAS Sydney, the first aircraft carrier of the Royal Australian Navy.
She was equipped with Hawker Sea Fury fighter and Fairey Firefly attack aircraft. In 1951 and 1952 Sydney operated with the United Nations forces in Korean waters. She participated in many actions and created a light fleet carrier record when she achieved 89 aircraft sorties in one day.
The ship continued in service as a carrier until her newer sister ship, HMAS Melbourne, took over the RAN's aircraft carrier role. Sydney disembarked her air squadrons on 22 April 1955 and served as a training ship until paid off to Special Reserve in Sydney on 30 May 1958, and recommissioned as a Fast Troop Transport on 7 March 1962. She was heavily committed to the support of the Australian Task Force in Vietnam and made 24 troop transport visits to Vietnam, which earned her the nickname "Vung Tau Ferry".
HMAS Sydney paid off for disposal on 12 November 1973, was sold for scrap to the Dongkuk Steel Mill Company Limited of Seoul in South Korea on 28 October 1975 and left Sydney under tow on 23 December 1975.
The fourth HMAS Sydney (FFG-03) is an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate laid down on 21 August, 1980, launched on 26 September 1980 and commissioned on 29 January 1983.
General Characteristics